Crested Butte Trip, July 2009

There is no way for me to put into words how lovely Crested Butte is this time of year. I have enjoyed the town every time I have gone, but early July just ROCKS.

Photographs also do not do this part of Colorado justice. Although I try. And I try. And I try. And I try!

My photos are not in chronological order, they are in order of how my camera puts them, which is messed up, and I really don't know why. I'm not worried enough about it to try and fix it ;-p

Only a fraction of the photos I took are in this blog. I'll post the rest on KodakGallery - link will be here later if you are interested, check back.

This week in Crested Butte is the Wildflower Festival, and with good reason. Although we didn't participate in any of the functions, we planned our trip to coincide with this event, for maximum wildflower viewing pleasure.

At the last minute, we decided to go up a day early and stay in a hotel that night. That was a good choice, as the fireworks were set off right behind our hotel that night! Marsh Marigold

Our first full day in CB, we drove up Slate River Gulch, a fairly rough (for us - don't laugh you 4-wheelers out there) 4-wheel drive road. Then drove back down through Washington Gulch. Several water crossings, many rocky areas, and steep slopes that made it hard to start my car. We spent a lot of our time above 11,000 ft, where my car had absolutely NO power. If I slowed down, stopped, or otherwise lost acceleration, it was not easy to get restarted on my way.

We tried to get the GPS to stay on 11,000 ft to get a pic, but it wouldn't cooperate. Or else John was waving his arm around too much.....

The views looked fake, they were so beautiful.

Passed by an old mine, the Pittsburg mine in the "town" of Pittsburg (I think there was one house). It was all chained up, no entrance. Loved the old truck sitting there, full of shotgun holes.

Mountain Bluebell

Apsen Glen with Columbine

Columbine

Larkspur

See Elise on the rock on the left?

Lupine

Mule's Ears

A whole field of Mule's Ears

Mule's Ear

Our campground in Taylor Canyon, at Rosy Lane. We backed to the river, with this wonderful ROCK in the middle of our campsite. Who could possibly ask for more?

The view from our campsite - many tall rocky cliffs! Taylor canyon is very narrow.

A very interesting occurance at our campsite: an almost full moon rose while we were in CB the first night, so I knew to expect a full moon. I kept looking for this moon while at our campsite, and right before I went to bed noticed a strange glowing in the river area and walls rising above it. I knew it had to be the moon, but never actually saw it that night. We didn't stay up too late that first night, so we didn't know where the moon would come up. The second night, we stayed up later. The same strange glow started, so we kept an eye out. It got later and later, til we were ready to go to sleep again, still no moon. Until John went to brush his teeth, stepping away from the campsite towards the river, he finally saw it. It was coming up over the edge of the canyon wall, illuminating only the far wall and a few trees. We could only see it by walking over near the river. Finally, the moon! I noticed it later that night when I woke for a few minutes, and the whole tent was glowing.

Here is my car, overflowing as usual on camping trips.


The inside of our cozy tent, so happy with it.

The first night we arrived in CB we met up with friends for dinner. Went to an amazing place - The Secret Stash. We were in the upstairs portion of an old A-frame building. All the walls were painted RED, and hung with batiks, Indian silks, gods and goddesses. Funky hanging lights, low to the floor tables with cushions for seats.

I have an idea for the extra space in my living room now.


Coolest part of all - under the stairs - unuseable space in a resturant - there was a kids hangout - hiding space. Hung with silks and funky animal prints, cushions and pillows strewn about. Adults sat about and drank (they told us it could be an hour wait for our pizzas to cook!) while the kids disappeared into happiness.

Our group at our table:

Our yummy pizzas! Reflected of course in the mirror hung over our table.

The funny part, is the menu had Om on the cover. Owen and M created their own pizza, and decided to name it....... OM!


Look at how cute they are looking at their menus!

Happy and hydrated.

Always on the lookout - Yoga for the Peaceful

And here is that almost full moon that night!

The requisite climbing on statues by children. Irresistable.

Watching the fireworks that night behind our hotel. Fireworks were launched from the ski run at CB.

Breakfast - brunch the next morning - a long wait for food, but worth it. It was drizzling anyway, so we might as well be inside a cute little resturant in CB.
This pancake was as big as her head!!!! Bigger!!!!

Pancakes and scrambled eggs

Mmmmmmmmmm.

Couldn't pass up the latkes, not with a sign like this!

Yes, I drove up that. It was even steeper than it looks here. Doesn't the scenery look fake?

Water crossing #3.

Croc shot.

Corn lilies. In this one area, they were everywhere. Apparently they are worn as clothing during the 4th of July parade. They bloom too, we saw them pre-bloom. Cool foliage. All swirley and stripey with big leaves!

Looks like western sweetvetch, but with super feathery fern-like leaves

Glacier Lily

Glacier Lily is one of the first flowers to bloom after snowmelt. We found these way up high around still snowy areas.

Globeflower

Elise, future botanist, looking up flowers for us

Northern Fairy Candelabra

maybe alpine wallflower?

Lupine with a view

Lupine

Dragonfly larvae, or nymph

Collecting specimens

Apparently, with a fishing license, it is legal to collect amphibians. We collected 4 salamander eggs. Pretty sure that's what they are ;-p

3 have hatched so far. I'll post about that more later.

Marsh Marigold. It just seems weird to have marshy areas in Colorado.

Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery halfway between Taylor Canyon and CB

The Raggeds Wilderness (we only saw them from afar. Another trip maybe? 4-wheel drive and/or hiking accessible only!)

Lost Lake Slough.

The best picnic spot on the lake!

A view beyond words.

Enjoying.

Cute beyond words.

Metallic long-horned beetle landed on us.


Elise and I took a hike while the boys fished.

Meadow.

Ah, the "true" Lost Lake.

Red Columbine

Another view beyond words.

Can you believe this? Straight out of a fairy tale. Yes it is poisonous.

Amanita Muscaria

My hiker.

Skyrocket or Scarlet Gilia

Rock - sitter.

Angler. Fly - Fisher.

Cutest fisher-person EVER.

Lupine - yellow and blue?

Can I live here?

Aspen with Cow Parsnip

Sage meadow with paintbrush, mule's ears, and purple lupine or vetch

Purple fields

Purple


Lunch on the last day - Teocali Tamale. Can I just say - YUM.

Us.

On the way home, back over Cottonwood Pass.